By Jacqueline Pennington

On Sunday, June 2, Charlotte will see its first Drink Less Fest, a festival that hopes to expand the non-alcoholic beverage offerings available at our city’s restaurants and bars. With most festivals in Charlotte revolving around alcohol and drinking culture, the event looks to bring something new to the social scene. The event is presented by Roaring Social and Charlotte Beverage Distribution and will feature more than 15 non-alcoholic beverage brands, speakers covering topics around mindful drinking, and interactive workshops. It’s an opportunity for industry professionals to connect with brands in the non-alcoholic space and for the general public to experiment with and learn about the beverage options that are becoming available for mindful drinkers. 

Casey Dolan, the founder of both Roaring Social and Charlotte Beverage Distribution, started her businesses to bring something to Charlotte that she saw was lacking.

“There was a hole in Charlotte for the non-alcoholic beverage space, not only with the beverages but also in having a community,” Dolan says. In comparison to other big cities, Charlotte seemed a bit behind with most non-alcoholic offerings being some sort of bubbly base with a fruit juice. The brands on display at the event will include spirits and wine with alcohol removed or botanical aperitifs and spirits that have a similar flavor and/or application as options with alcohol. Attendees will have the opportunity to partake in a tasting of products from participating brands, join nonalcoholic cocktail-making classes led by mixologists, and learn about enhancing the dining experience by pairing food with non-alcoholic wine. 

Dolan hopes members of the hospitality scene are inspired by what they taste and learn and become part of the shift towards making the city more inclusive.

“What I want to see happen after this event is a huge wave of menus shifting to have a non-alcoholic spirit or elixir in it that looks pretty in someone’s hand,” she says. “I have people that I talk to that don’t go out to restaurants because they don’t have drinks that support their lifestyle and they don’t feel like they’re welcome because of that.”

Non-alcoholic beverages are becoming more common on menus all over the country — something we’re seeing in Charlotte, as well. Thoughtful non-alcoholic menus from bars and restaurants are becoming more prominent, with restaurants such as Restaurant Constance, The Crunkleton, and Counter- creating alcohol free options that are as complex as any boozy alternative. Drink Less Fest hopes to spotlight the growing market for non-alcoholic options and make it easier for restaurants and bars to familiarize themselves with those brands.

Key speakers include award-winning sober coach Heather Lowe of Ditched the Drink; Dr. Brooke Scheller, author of How to Eat to Change How You Drink; and Laura Silverman, founder of Zero Proof Nation. The event will wrap up with a panel discussion with these women to discuss the non-alcoholic community past, present and future covering topics like how to navigate workplace drinking and how nutrition relates to alcohol.

The event will take place at event venue PINE in NoDa from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The general public can buy tickets to the event for $50 while industry professionals can attend the event for free by coordinating with Dolan via email at caseydolan@charlottebeveragedistribution.org or Kris Reid, Executive Director of the Piedmont Culinary Guild.